Food of the Gods II
A 1989 Canadian sci-fi film about giant rats and tumors.
Food of the Gods II (also released under the titles Gnaw: Food of the Gods II and Food of the Gods Part 2) is a 1989 Canadian science fiction movie. It is an extremely loose follow-up to Bert I. Gordon's 1976 film The Food of the Gods, which itself was adapted from H.G. Wells' 1904 novel. The connection is in name only, as the 1989 film's story has nothing to do with the earlier movie. The central ideas involve animal testing and changes in size.
In the plot, Dr. Neil Hamilton is contacted by his former teacher, Dr. Kate Travis, about a boy named Bobby. Travis has been treating Bobby's stunted growth with an experimental serum, which has caused him to rapidly grow larger than an adult and become aggressive. To develop an antidote, Neil brings a serum sample to his lab at a university science complex. There, animal-rights activists, led by Mark Hales and Neil's girlfriend Alex Reed, are protesting Professor Edmund Delhurst, who claims to research cancer but actually experiments on animals to find a baldness cure.
Neil and his assistant Joshua inject the serum into lab rats. That night, the activists (except Alex) break in to trash Delhurst's lab and accidentally free the now-giant rats, which kill Mark and escape into the campus utility tunnels. Police Lieutenant Weizel dismisses the activists' story, even after Neil confirms the serum's effects. Dean White hires two exterminators to deal with what he thinks are normal rats.
The giant rats kill several people, including exterminator Louis, while the surviving activists, Al and Angie, flee. The rats also kill anyone who tries to hunt them. Delhurst's assistant, janitor Zeke, is attacked, but exterminator Jacques, despite severe bites, burns the rat. Later, a night watchman is killed off-screen while trying to flee. Alex finds a workman's body (a man forced from his car and chased by rats), and police discover two more bodies in the car. Lieutenant Weizel is now convinced of the danger, but Dean White, focused on the university's new sports complex grand opening, refuses to close the campus. After Joshua is killed by the rats, Neil attacks Dean White and is fired.
Delhurst steals the serum, testing it first on Neil's pet rat Louise, then on cancer cells. He accidentally contaminates himself with the treated cells and dies rapidly as his body erupts in massive tumors. Neil returns to the lab for the antidote
- Release year
- 1989
- Country
- Canada
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Based on
- Very loosely based on the 1904 H.G. Wells novel The Food of the Gods
- Sequel to
- The 1976 film The Food of the Gods
- Alternate titles
- Gnaw: Food of the Gods II, Food of the Gods Part 2
Lore & Background
In the film, Dr. Neil Hamilton is called by his mentor Dr. Kate Travis about a boy named Bobby, whose growth deficiency was treated with an experimental serum. Bobby grows larger than an adult and becomes violent. Neil takes a serum sample to his lab at a university science complex, where animal-rights activists, including Mark Hales and Neil's girlfriend Alex Reed, are protesting Professor Edmund Delhurst's animal testing for a baldness cure. Neil and his assistant Joshua inject the serum into lab rats. Activists break in, accidentally release the now-giant rats, which kill Mark and escape into utility tunnels. The rats kill several people, including an exterminator and a night watchman. Delhurst steals the serum, tests it on Neil's pet rat and on cancer cells, accidentally contaminates himself, and dies from massive tumors. The rats attack a swim competition, killing Dean White. Neil uses his enlarged pet rat Louise to lure the male rats into a courtyard, where police gun them down. Neil learns that Bobby has killed Dr. Travis and escaped.
Reader's Guide
Food of the Gods II is notable as a sequel in name only, sharing no plot with its predecessor. Its reception highlights its status as a B-movie: Creature Feature gave it two out of five stars, finding the effects ludicrous. Paul Lê of Bloody Disgusting described it as 'positively junky and sleazy' yet 'immensely fun,' noting that its dead-serious tone clashes with its preposterous nature, making it a treasure for fans of absurd, mindless entertainment. The film's themes of animal testing and size change, along with its giant rats and tumorous transformations, place it within the tradition of 1980s creature features. Its legacy endures among cult film enthusiasts who appreciate its unintentional humor and low-budget ambition.
Did You Know?
- The film is a sequel in name only, with no plot relation to the 1976 film The Food of the Gods.
- The main themes are animal testing and size change.
- Professor Delhurst dies after contaminating himself with cancer cells treated with the growth serum, causing massive tumors.
- The film is also known as Gnaw: Food of the Gods II and Food of the Gods Part 2.
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